Sponsored Links

Ford Motor Company is issuing a recall for certain 2004-2006 Ford Ranger pickup trucks in North America due to defective airbag inflators. This is an expansion of a safety recall of vehicles that have certain airbag inflators produced by Takata, which has declared that those inflators are defective.

The defect: upon deployment of the driver side frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.

The hazards: in the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver’s frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking vehicle occupants and potentially resulting in serious injury or death.

Injuries or deaths: Ford is aware of one report of a death related to a Takata airbag deployment.

Number of affected vehicles: 391,394 vehicles in North America, of which:

361,692 are in the United States and federalized territories

29,334 are in Canada

The fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin March 7, 2016.

Owners should: owners who wish to know if their vehicle is included in these recalls can visit http://owner.ford.com and click on Safety Recalls at the bottom of the page. There, customers can enter their Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) to see any open safety, compliance or emissions recalls, as well as customer satisfaction programs.

Owners may also contact Ford customer service by using the following contact information.

Contacts:

Ford Customer Service: 1-866-436-7332

FoMoCo Recall Number: 16S03

NHTSA Toll Free: 1-888-327-4236

NHTSA (TTY): 1-800-424-9153

NHTSA Website: www.safecar.gov

NHTSA Recall Number: 16V036000

Note: this recall supersedes 14V-343 and only applies to Rangers manufactured in North America.

Sponsored Links

— Alex Luft

Ford Authority founder with a passion for global automotive business strategy.